New London woman charged with murder of her son to be committed
Jun. 21—A three-judge panel on Friday found a New London mother charged with murder in the strangling death of her 4-year-old son not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
The ruling paves the way for 36-year-old Tiffany Farrauto, the woman charged in the 2021 killing, to be transferred from prison to the Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown for a yet-to-be determined length of confinement.
She faces a commitment of between 25 and 60 years under the supervision of the Psychiatric Security Review Board. She would have faced a similar sentence in prison with a murder conviction.
A hearing to determine the length of her commitment is scheduled for Sept. 4 in New London Superior Court.
The ruling appeared to be the foregone conclusion of a two-day trial in New London Superior Court, where expert witnesses for both the defense and prosecution testified that Farrauto suffers from bipolar disorder and had a psychotic break when she killed her son.
Police found Farruato's son unresponsive at her Nautilus Drive apartment on the morning of March 7, 2021. Police said Farruato, who was in the parking lot of the apartment complex yelling and hitting a vehicle with a baseball bat, admitted to the killing. Her admission, along with a string of incoherent utterances, was captured on police video.
Psychiatrists Dr. Catherine Lewis testified for the prosecution and Dr. Peter Morgan for the defense. Both were questioned by Senior Assistant State's Attorney Theresa Ferryman about Farruato's mental state and about whether she could be faking her mental illness. Both doctors said their conclusion that Farrauto was not faking illness was based on interviews and a review of the evidence in the case.
"In my opinion, at the time of the alleged killing, she was in a manic state that rendered her psychotic," Lewis testified.
What led Farrauto to commit murder is unclear but Lewis speculated that there were tensions that led up to the killing, including the stress of living on her own with less support from family and friends then she was used to. Farrauto had only recently moved to the small apartment with her son, Lewis said.
"She was ill-equipped for that transition," Lewis said.
In the weeks leading up to the killing, Lewis said family had also expressed concern about her mounting paranoia. Farrauto, Lewis said, had contacted police and the state Department of Children and Families worried that her son was being sexually abused at daycare.
Farrauto, Lewis said, was also exhibiting signs of being delusional and on the day she killed her son believed she was being controlled by an external force, "something inside the house driving her to kill her son." Lewis said Farruato has little memory of the killing.
Present in the courtroom on Friday was Farrauto's mother, Cindy Steenson, and her grandmother, Judy Steenson. Judy Steenson is a retired state corrections officer and Cindy Steenson remains employed by the state as a corrections officer.
Both agreed it had been a tough three years but remain in contact with Farruato and said they think she needs to be somewhere where she can be treated for mental illness.
A commitment to Whiting, Cindy Steenson said, is the more appropriate environment for her daughter.
"It will be beneficial not just for her but beneficial for society," she said.
